Temple Court
by Anita Yoder
A stream of lament
Threads its line down
The curtain of the year.
An unraveling anthem Continue reading . . . “Anita Yoder: Temple Court”
Sheri Yutzy: Plant a Garden Over Me
Plant a Garden Over Me
by Sheri Yutzy
When I die, plant a garden over me.
Let moss curl round my edges
carrot tops spurt like laughter
let me be food for the earth. Continue reading . . . “Sheri Yutzy: Plant a Garden Over Me”
An Empty
by Daniel Hess
An empty, leather glove reclining there
holds well the shape, a hollow hand encased
in-girds the grip, which, pulseless, on its pair Continue reading . . . “Daniel Hess: An Empty”
Rebecca Weber: Lady of the Rain
Lady of the Rain
By Rebecca Weber
The lady of the rain walks the horizon
Back-lit by evening’s glow
Trailing fragrant dripping skirts
Along the wide lawn of forest and field— Continue reading . . . “Rebecca Weber: Lady of the Rain”
Hermann Miller: I Led My Love to This Cold-Echoed Tomb
I Led My Love to This Cold-Echoed Tomb
By Hermann Miller
I led my love to this cold-echoed tomb
And rolls of doom following soon upon
Each door fast drawn behind rolled and were gone
To mould the wall’s unbroken pool of gloom. Continue reading . . . “Hermann Miller: I Led My Love to This Cold-Echoed Tomb”
Cornstalks
by Jeff Gundy
Every end is a beginning. When everything seems lost,
Bald cypress finally plucked clean, empty bottle
Tossed in the weeds, muddy water escaping
Under the bridge, the deep hum and stir continue. Continue reading . . . “Jeff Gundy: Cornstalks”
Phoebe Anthus: What Mind-Hands Hold
What Mind-Hands Hold
by Phoebe Anthus
There is this something in us all that wants to feel different, wants to feel better than the hodgepodge of thoughtless humanity crowded around us on all sides. We want to feel that we are original, important and altogether a “somebody.” And so, as the light of God’s goodness Continue reading . . . “Phoebe Anthus: What Mind-Hands Hold”
Phoebe Anthus: Song to the Beech
Song to the Beech
by Phoebe Anthus
You wove your branches,
Netted in the frosty air,
Over the weary weathered stones,
Whose hard selves boast but weakness Continue reading . . . “Phoebe Anthus: Song to the Beech”
Ease of Entry
By Rebecca Weber
I thought that death was dim and distant
Some mountain difficult to climb
Beyond this flower and thistle meadow
Of full-orbed seasons, toil, and time. Continue reading . . . “Rebecca Weber: Ease of Entry”
The Ache
by Daniel Lowry
I found healing in a quiet burn
That played pellucid over stone,
In a winded leaf that flicked and turned,
Untroubled where its dance be blown, Continue reading . . . “Daniel Lowry: The Ache”
The Jester: Shakespeare’s Jesters
Shakespeare’s Jesters
Then Must the Fool be Wise
by The Jester
What do I know of Fools?
To wit? A foolish one.
Too foolish? But a wit.
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” wrote Shakespeare, the great playwright who gave us many of our oldest idioms. Continue reading . . . “The Jester: Shakespeare’s Jesters”
Lynn Michael Martin: The Grave of Robin Hood
The Grave of Robin Hood
By Lynn Michael Martin
Beyond the nunnery,
deep buried in the wood,
beneath the boughs of an oaken tree
is the grave of Robin Hood. Continue reading . . . “Lynn Michael Martin: The Grave of Robin Hood”
Jeff Gundy: Elegy for a Solid Man
Elegy for a Solid Man
by Jeff Gundy
Surely there are enough fallen leaves, slippery in the cold woods,
Acorn caps and sticks among them, mud and stone below,
A few still trembling Continue reading . . . “Jeff Gundy: Elegy for a Solid Man”
Lynn Michael Martin: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
A Critique of a Good Idea
by Lynn Michael Martin
When I hear a piece of wisdom the first time, I’m inclined to agree with it. When I hear it for the hundredth time, I begin to wonder why it’s popular. Take, for example, the idea that “travel broadens your horizons.” Continue reading . . . “Lynn Michael Martin: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
Daniel Hess: At Least Four Examples
At Least Four Examples
by Daniel Hess
a day after the rains
an innocent mallard
stood close to the full ditch Continue reading . . . “Daniel Hess: At Least Four Examples”
Stead
by Obi Martin
The seed of my life is aching,
yearning to fall from its height;
and find rest, find soil. Continue reading . . . “Obi Martin: Stead”
Faith Martin: I All Alone Beweep my Outcast State
I All Alone Beweep my Outcast State
by Faith Martin
Posing as an isolated artist, a deeply misunderstood brooding mind, or as an overlooked introvert seems to be a popular theme among writers of poetry. Poets, maybe especially young ones, have tended to have a fascination with Continue reading . . . “Faith Martin: I All Alone Beweep my Outcast State”
Lectures, Seminars. Some New Year’s News.
We have some exciting news for this New Year! We’re providing some new places for conversations and education to happen in an Anabaptist writing context. Continue reading . . . “Lectures, Seminars. Some New Year’s News.”
Kenneth Godoy: Where Two Things Intersect, a Cross Is
Where Two Things Intersect, a Cross Is
By Kenneth Godoy
Where two things intersect, a cross is,
like the cross between silence and light,
the cross of noise into words into any meaning.
I am a cross of skin and awareness. Continue reading . . . “Kenneth Godoy: Where Two Things Intersect, a Cross Is”
Claudia Lehman: On Trying to Write a Christmas Poem
On Trying to Write a Christmas Poem
by Claudia Lehman
There’s nothing left to say that’s not been said
a hundred times before by better tongues
or fingers than my own, and maybe yours. Continue reading . . . “Claudia Lehman: On Trying to Write a Christmas Poem”